Luke 1:26-66

Lexham English Bible

The Prediction of Jesus’ Birth

²⁶ Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee named^[a] Nazareth, ²⁷ to a virgin legally promised in marriage to a man named^[b] Joseph of the house of David. And the name of the virgin was Mary. ²⁸ And he came to her and^[c] said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” ²⁹ But she was greatly perplexed at the statement, and was pondering what sort of greeting this might be. ³⁰ And the angel said to her,

³⁴ And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I have not had sexual relations with a man?” ³⁵ And the angel answered and^[e] said to her,

³⁶ And behold, your relative Elizabeth—she also has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren. ³⁷ For nothing will be impossible with God.”^[f]

³⁸ So Mary said, “Behold, the Lord’s female slave! May it happen to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Mary Visits Elizabeth

³⁹ Now in those days Mary set out and^[g] traveled with haste into the hill country, to a town of Judah, ⁴⁰ and entered into the house of Zechariah, and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹ And it happened that when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby in her womb leaped and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴² And she cried out with a loud shout and said,

⁴³ And why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴ For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy! ⁴⁵ And blessed is she who believed that there will be a fulfillment to what was spoken to her from the Lord!”

Mary’s Hymn of Praise to God

⁴⁶ And Mary said,

⁵⁶ And Mary stayed with her about three months, and returned to her home.

The Birth of John the Baptist

⁵⁷ Now the time came for Elizabeth that she should give birth, and she gave birth to a son. ⁵⁸ And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her,^[i] and they rejoiced with her. ⁵⁹ And it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were wanting to name him after^[j] his father Zechariah. ⁶⁰ And his mother answered and^[k] said, “No, but he will be named John.” ⁶¹ And they said to her, “There is no one of your relatives who is called by this name.” ⁶² So they made signs to his father asking what he wanted him to be named, ⁶³ and he asked for a writing tablet and^[l] wrote, saying, “John is his name.” And they were all astonished. ⁶⁴ And his mouth and his tongue were opened immediately, and he began to speak,^[m] praising God. ⁶⁵ And fear came on all those who lived near them, and in all the hill country of Judea all these events were discussed. ⁶⁶ And all those who heard kept these things^[n] in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be? For indeed the hand of the Lord was with him!”